


The 'Renaissance' Man

by thedothatgirl



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: F/M, Firenze | Florence, Italian artists - Freeform, Renaissance Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:02:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24862000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedothatgirl/pseuds/thedothatgirl
Summary: During his immortal life Lucifer has visited earth many times, on some occasions making a profound impression on those he meets. And once in a while there's even evidence.     Now after quelling rebellion in Hell, Lucifer is back on Earth,  albeit temporarily and Chloe wants discover him anew. This time, she won't doubt his stories.   Set after end S4 and 500 yrs prior to the Series.
Relationships: Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar, Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV)/Other(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	1. 500 years B.C (Before Chloe)

**Author's Note:**

> A short fic that was inspired by some art, a beloved city and some Artists

**  
**

Lucifer was bored. Eyeball poppingly weary. Frustrated and ill tempered. . B.O.R.E.D.

He now was way past the point of concentrating on the weekly demon reports. New admissions generally did not spark his interest. What seemed like an eternity _was_. He was at the ‘incinerate first ask questions later’ stage. Demons were nervous and avoided Lucifer as much as they could, fearing his wrath. 

The punishment he orchestrated on the humans sent his way, was nothing compared to what Dad had forced him, was forcing him to endure. He desperately needed a change of scene. His thoughts soon strayed to a visit top side. See what was happening, cause some mischief and generally break the routine he currently suffered. 

Then the Florentine merchant arrived. A plague victim, but an unscrupulous fraud, all round greedy & cruel man during his life, he was consigned to hell -the perfect place. Not according to ‘Lorenzo’ however. He kept on about how he was in the ‘wrong level’ he should be with the gluttonous not mixing with the deceivers and fraudsters. Word soon filtered back to Lucifer about the merchant who was insistent that Hell was set out ‘incorrectly. It might relieve his boredom, and so he paid a visit.

“This is not how it should be” whined Lorenzo. “This is not as Dante had written “ And then on about Limbo with its pagans and the ‘nine levels’; one even for the lustful, a concept that actually piqued Lucifer’s interest. He would like to obtain a copy of this book. It will be at least an amusing distraction. He also heard that Florence was producing competent artists right now, and he always appreciated beauty, and humanity despite their many flaws, were capable of capturing it. 

_The Artist_

Lucifer chose a narrow cobbled alleyway off one of the many piazzas in Florence, touching down gracefully dressed in similar clothing to Lorenzo the Merchant – but looking so elegant - if you like hose/tights that left nothing to the imagination. The fitted long waistcoat emphasised his broad shoulders, although the loose voluminous sleeves of his soft, silk collarless shirt took a little getting used to. A small, ornate ebony and silver dagger was neatly sheathed, tucked into his matching leatherwork belt. And a tooled leather pouch filled with golden florins was strung on the opposite side. He had checked for any local inhabitants and hoped he had not been seen, he could just do without the attention on this occasion. Unlike his other earlier visits to the earthly realm, he wanted to blend in, not stand out. Admittedly difficult to achieve he thought, if you look as good as this, but he welcomed the challenge nevertheless.

From the 1st floor apartment overlooking the alleyway, Andrea Del Sarto, fresco and portrait painter of some skill, was taking a moment away from his latest commission. Breathing in the slightly cooler air at the window, the room was stifling in the heat. He glanced down as a white flash and ruffling noise caught his attention. It was as if a large bird, a swan perhaps, had flown close to the window. Standing in the alley was a tall, dark haired man – strong features dominated a handsome profile, almost charcoal back eyes, and dark shadow of a beard. But what really caught his attention were the large luminescent wings that were being folded away from view.

“Bell’angelo” Andrea exclaimed. This a little louder than he would have liked, as it drew the gaze of the ‘angelo’ upwards.

The artist fell away from the window, and with a hand clutched to his chest, dropped heavily into a small chair. Stunned by this ‘heavenly vision’ Andrea could barely think. His sitter looked over at him quizzically and the artist recovered enough composure to mutter that he was done for the day. It was a full minute before he could slowly peep over the window sill to check the alleyway.

The angel/man was still there, smiling broadly up at the window. He raised his hand and shouted “Buongiorno” It was all the artist could do not to shriek back in terror.

‘What an odd reaction’ puzzled Lucifer. He inspected his clothing to make sure that nothing could have caused a stir, a misplaced cod piece or something of that sort. Still, he mused, it was good to be out of hell and back on earth. The sun shone, the air was ash free and the allure of beauty was around every corner. He set off towards the crowded Piazza, so ready for his ‘adventure’ to begin.

It did not take Lucifer more than a couple of days to establish the key ‘players’ within the city. Entranced by his invitation to divulge their ‘desires’ and eager to please him, rich merchants, Dukes and minor Princes were doing all they could to entertain and include him in their society. The Medici were keen to be seen with him, as much as the ladies of good standing who were willing to succumb to their lustful urges with the dark, sensual stranger . Lucifer left no-one disappointed; rumours of his sexual prowess were not exaggerated. The only disapproval was from cuckolded husbands who would never be able to satisfy their wives in such a way.

Delighted with this swift acceptance and the vibrancy of Florentine life, Lucifer felt he had made the right choice to come here. Everywhere he discovered art, music, ‘belle donne’ drinking to excess & feasting. The only irksome aspect was the overwhelming number of Churches and art dedicated to ‘Dad’ and a particular inaccurate portrayal of his brother Michael, clearly they had not met the insufferable oaf. This was just what he needed. 

After a week, an invitation to a most savage sporting event found him in the Piazza Santa Croce for the ‘Calcio’ . Pressed amongst the crowds as two teams of brawny young men stripped to the waist, grappled and fought over a ball then tried to score. Violent brawls, bloody faces and the occasional flash of a blade were the order of the day. It was all that Lucifer could do not to join in, or at least approach a couple of the handsome, athletic players who caught his eye. He had wagered a substantial amount of florins on this game and would be delighted in the win. Cheering with the crowd at an audacious play, there was a tug on his tunic and turning he saw a shortish man with velvet cap in hand, staring at him as if he would die from fear. 

Andrea Del Sarto stuttered an introduction and asked Lucifer to meet him after the game had finished. Recognising the face last seen at the window on the day he arrived, Lucifer was curious and readily agreed.

“I want to paint you” Del Sarto burst out “ I cannot forget your face since I saw you in the alley, it haunts me – never have I seen a man so magnificent. You are an angel! ” The painter explained that he had been unable to complete his current commission and felt that if he could not convince Lucifer to sit for him, he would never paint again. There would be no charge and he would even come to some arrangement to compensate Lucifer for his time. The desperation in the man’s face was obvious to Lucifer, but he wanted to certain if Del Sarto spoke the truth.

“An angel? Why do you say that?” Lucifer moved in closer fixing his dark gaze upon the trembling man.

“I saw… I saw” he stammered.

“What exactly did you see?” Lucifer pressed.

“Wings….” The moment the word left Andrea’s lips there followed a gasp that he had actually confessed to what he had seen. A heavenly vision. A slow smile started to form on Lucifer’s face as he leaned in further

“Tell me what do you truly desire?” Lucifer might as well discover if there was an ulterior motive for this request or whether his quivering artist was driven by his religious fervour or divine inspiration. 

“To become known as an artist who paints ‘senza errori’… if you allow me to produce your portrait, I am certain this will only advance my fame - to paint an angel ” 

“Well I have a different role now, I do still have the wings, but I am ‘angelo caduto’ you may wish to keep that from your other patrons if you wish to continue painting those frescos”

Andrea Del Sarto did not seem to grasp Lucifer’s meaning, he thought Lucifer was merely talking about his exploits & conquests. The reputation of this handsome ‘angel’ had spread rapidly and was the talk (and envy) of most of Florence. Just spending a few minutes in his prescence was enough to convince the painter that Lucifer was something otherworldly.

“I suppose it would not hurt at all” Lucifer agreed, “Just how long do I need to sit for? ... I do need something to occupy me, stop me becoming bored (again) “ The deal was made. It would be a record of his visit to earth.

The relief spread across Del Sarto’s face, he would be ‘the’ artist in Florence. “By the way, are you married ?” Lucifer innocently enquired, eyebrows raised in a way that his meaning was clear. This question was enough to halt that expression of relief.

They arranged for Lucifer to come to the studio, located off the alley where he had arrived in Florence . Del Sarto thought he would need around 3 sittings of at least an hour to layout out preliminary sketches and put down the base of the portrait. Before the first appointment Lucifer had made a point to visit several Churches in Florence to check the quality of Del Sarto’s work. Despite being rather uncomfortable at his surroundings with frequent glances skyward to ‘Dad’, Lucifer managed to inspect the frescos. Other than the subject matter which was not historically accurate or what he preferred, he could see that Del Sarto was clearly a talented artist. 

Del Sarto made him comfortable and demonstrated to Lucifer the pose he wished him to adopt. Fortunately Lucifer was distracted enough by Lucrezia – Del Sarto’s wife - who moved in and out of the room, bringing wine and delicacies. She would blush deeply and avert her eyes, when her gaze met Lucifer’s intense scrutiny. Blushes aside she found many an excuse to return to the room and study the sitter with more than casual interest, clearly enjoying the view .

Soon fed up of this wanton appraisal that could not progress to something more ‘tangible’ Lucifer picked up the volume he had obtained recently from one of the Medici. ‘Comedia ’ by Dante Alighieri . The book that had played a part in him choosing Florence. He started reading the long poem. Quite soon he had decided that reading just Inferno would be all he could manage. Having read up to the fifth Canto regading the second level of hell, Lucifer could not disguise his disappointment.

“All those lustful lovers and the best punishment they could come up with was having them swirl around in a strong breeze” he ranted “ Talk about a lack of imagination” He hoped it would improve and struggled onto to the next canto on the ‘ third level’.

_Two messages, one welcomed the other, not._

A small boy approached Lucifer as he sat at the large banquet table drinking deeply from a goblet of very fine red wine. Clutched in the urchin’s hand was parchment note addressed in an inky scrawll ‘Signore Lucifero’ the wax seal preventing the young messenger from reading the note.

Breaking this open, Lucifer grinned as he read the contents.

“I can no longer be quiet , I must meet with you and reveal to you my innermost desires.. Lucrezia “ 

Much later in Lucifer’s rooms a single candle sputtered low flickering light over the naked couple entwined in the sheets. Lucifer leant casually over a dozing, content Lucrezia and carelessly trailed a finger tip down a pale, well rounded breast teasing a reaction. This was quite a decent trip, so far.

On the next sitting Lucrezia could barely disguise her passion much to Del Sarto’s dismay. As much as Lucifer had enjoyed his tryst with her, he was content to move on without further entanglement, he’d rather avoid upsetting the painter who may take his retribution by rendering a poor likeness in the portrait. That would not do. Lucifer forced concentration back to the book.

On the final visit to Del Sarto, Lucrezia was nowhere to be seen. Lucifer suspected the Artist may have given her a task to remove her from the studio while he was there. It did not matter, he was keen to allow the artist to continue working, eager to see the finished portrait. 

Nearing the hour’s end and without any warning, a mighty rush of wind and loud flapping broke the artist’s concentration & caused Lucifer to look up in consternation. There, with his dark wings fully unfurled stood a very haughty Amenadiel. The look of contempt and disdain barely suppressed on his majestic face, his glowering stare lowered in Lucifer’s direction. His full length robe cut to reveal his powerful muscular arms, he was an imposing heavenly figure. Time stood still.

“Oh it’s Daddy’s boy” Muttered Lucifer. This did not bode well.

“Your return to the Underworld has been requested. “ Amenadiel announced.

“I’m here, doing research – I came for this book which may have helped, should I ever decide to restructure Hell …. Sadly I don’t think it is the answer” this was not exactly a lie, more of an exaggerated half-truth. 

“Do not incur Father’s wrath – you must take up your duties in Hell, your absence there has been noted” came the terse reply. Clearly Amenadiel had not believed a word of Lucifer’s explanation

“ Be back by earth’s sunset in three days or there will be consequences” This last, thinly veiled threat elicited an sarcastic expression from Lucifer. Before he could issue his scornful reply, the warrior angel had gone.

The instant Amenadiel had flown, Del Sarto who had pinned himself to the far wall in dread at the Angel’s sudden appearance, shifted in confusion as time continued on its natural pace. He stared in amazement at Lucifer, as if he expected an explanation.

“Just my older brother. He’s gone now so let’s proceed shall we?” Clearly irritated, Lucifer stood up retrieved the palette and brush that had fallen to the floor, passing it to the startled artist. He resumed his pose a final time. 

The appeal of city was now waning, especially since the visit from Amenadiel. It was never supposed to be a permanent arrangement. Lucifer decided it would be far better to return and plan another trip elsewhere - pick a more important battle or better time to fight back about his unfair punishment than this.

He spent the last three days in a whirlwind of sexual encounters, drinking wine and feasting. Some of the more erotic practices he introduced to the willing participants would then become know as ‘ ‘Delizie empie di Lucifero Morningstar ‘ Collecting a few items that he wished to take back to hell, Lucifer called in on Del Sarto to view the portrait. 

“ .. Well I suppose it does look like me, so far anyway” Lucifer reflected. Del Sarto wanted to keep the piece, to show potential customers in order to boost his reputation and renown. Lucifer hoped that it would help the achieve the artist’s desire. 

He left the city just as the sun started to set, leaving behind a miserable Lucrezia among others in Florentine society who had fallen wholeheartedly for his irresistible‘charm’ and devastating mastery in the bedroom. 


	2. Putting Hell in Order

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The here and now. After the failed rebellion led by Dromos, Lucifer takes retribution and applies suitable punishment, so he can return to his Detective.

**  
**

His rage is barely suppressed as he sits on the high throne of hexagonal basalt columns in hell, eyes ablaze. Unending slow drift of ash smudge his immaculate suit, there is no comfort to be had other than looking at the photos of Chloe in his phone gallery. He does this so often, he knows each one by heart.

Life for the demons has returned swiftly to ‘normal’ as they go about their business of retrieving reticent sinners and extracting agonies. But Lucifer has not forgotten or forgiven them for their rebellion, he plots and plans the terrible retribution he will visit upon the disobedient who came to earth, murdered, possessed humans & threatened his first love. Forced him to return to this damned realm, in order to protect those for whom he cares deeply. 

He looks in on the priest’s hell loop. Spectres of Kinley’s victims – shambling, bloody, decomposing - stand in line down a church nave waiting to receive communion at the altar rail. Kinley attempts to hold Mass, the wafers disappear from his fingers as he tries to pass them out, the wine in the chalice is dark, clotting blood reeking of copper. Lucifer sees that Kinley’s shows some distress but little remorse despite this unceasing confrontation. Any guilt felt is insufficient to inflict appropriate amount of pain. Lucifer is certain that the priest would, given the chance, commit these evil deeds again. It’s up to the King of Hell to tweak the loop to deliver proper punishment. He has time to consider & implement the changes, and of course Kinley is going nowhere. 

Time moves at a different pace in hell – but possibly 3 months of Earth time has passed since Lucifer’s recent return following the rebellion Kinley prophesized.

Lucifer relished the look of shock on Dromos & Squee’s faces, as he obliterated their miserable existence to more ‘damn ash’. There was no quarter given, for Lucifer the delay in their destruction made it even sweeter – giving their false hope time to grow and then be quashed in the moment of their destruction. Did they truly believe that they had defied him and survived? How could they think he would not mete out punishment? He ordered their dusty remains be swept up and then dumped on a dung heap that had accumulated from a a cruel jockey's hell loop.

Then he had rounded up all those who had possessed humans in the uprising, an act explicitly against his edict, making horrific examples of them. Those who were not destroyed, were subjected to unbearable torture, eyelids pinned open as they were forced to watch endless re-runs ‘Barney & Friends’ . Some found themselves in the audience of ‘Oscar Wilde: The Musical’, ‘Les Mis’ or one of the many Andrew Lloyd Weber productions - unable to move from their seats. Or in a perpetual screening of Tom Hooper’s ‘Cats’. The demon’s plaintive caterwauling and pleading was ‘music’ to Lucifer’s ears, better than anything in that abomination of a film. He could come up with these torments for all eternity. 

Word soon spread amongst the demon clans, within weeks he had quelled any thought of further disobedience. He even delegated some of the torture of the rebels to other hell demons who had obeyed him. He was almost proud of how inventive they were in their duties. Lucifer days were filled by a steady audience of various clan leaders wanting to declare fealty. 

Soon he was satisfied that it was safe to leave Hell and visit Earth again, not for good, but long enough to fill his heart with all the comforts that he had enjoyed previously, the throbbing beat in music at Lux, the smoky warmth of a generous shot of ‘The Macallan’ and the pure notes from his own baby Grand. But most of all. 

Chloe.

To touch her soft cheek, taste those yielding lips, smell her heady scent and see the light in those seafoam eyes. Not reflected off tears as the last time they were together, but joy at his return. Not much to ask, Lucifer thought, oh and definitely _all_ mobiles phones on silent or switched off.

_Not a Second to Waste_

Chloe was on her latest case. A young, bikini clad woman washed up on El Matador Beach. Except the ligature marks on her neck would suggest perhaps strangulation, rather than accidental drowning. Ella Lopez was there, making a forensic study and photographing the crime scene , Chloe would catch up with her shortly. 

Despite the fact she was here for work, it was a truly beautiful place and Chloe recalled an earlier time on a beach. Her impulsive, caution to wind moment she first kissed him. Now, she just wishes she’d told him sooner. How she felt. All that time lost. The blissful reverie was shattered by the text notification on her phone. More importantly it was the custom ringtone she had set up during a tipsy ‘tribe night’ moment for her civilian consultant. The warm familiar voice ‘Hello Detective?’ nearly caused Chloe to drop her phone into the damp sand. Shaking fingers opened the message. 

‘Finally near enough to you to get a signal – I’ll be at Lux in 15 minutes - L ’

She had never driven so fast in her life. She may have even switched on the blues to clear the traffic.

Much later after all the tears, hugging, caresses and kisses, Chloe & Lucifer sat on the balcony of his penthouse with large whiskeys, watching the twinkling lights of LA below. The comfortable silence their conversation had fallen into, was interrupted

Lucifer’s voice broke slightly “It’s not permanent, you know. Not yet” 

“But you’re here now and I’ll take that any way it comes” Chloe softly replied. “I’m sure you’ll find a way to be able to return for good – it may just take a while to put in place”

A sad smile ghosted Lucifer’s face. He could always rely on the Detective to be the voice of reason & positivity.

“I’d like to make the most of our time together while you are here, not a second to waste… and I know exactly how I want to start” was Chloe’s response. She’d literally dreamt of this, vividly and in explicit detail – ok perhaps no ‘horns’ but those beautiful wings she’d seen were a perfectly enticing and suggested endless, exciting possibilities. 

_Lucifer’s Grand Tour_

Pale light glimmered through the sheer drapes in the bedroom as the sunrise began to invade their space. Chloe lay on her side watching the sleeping Lucifer, his broad muscular back to her, soft fall & rise with his breathing. The crescent shaped cicatrices just inside his shoulder blades had disappeared, replaced by unblemished skin. Where his wings would now emerge Chloe assumed. She slowly stretched out a tentative hand to caress his back, and was met by a low rumble of contentment as he gently leaned into her touch. A complete contrast to how he reacted the first time she attempted to touch his scars.

“And good morning to you, darling” Lucifer drowsily responded. Rolling over, he now faced Chloe with the probably the best ‘bed’ hair she’d ever seen. Breaking free from the product, soft waves fell casually onto his forehead, curls forming that her fingers itched to run through and twirl gently. 

“I’ve been thinking that we need to spend some time away, together – just you and me” Chloe ventured. “I have so many questions, about you…and your past…and well, our… the future” her eyes dropped in uncertainty. They’d been work partners for quite a while now, but that’s not a proper relationship, as lovers. Lucifer may not want this. She did not want to jinx it, and who knows how much time they have. 

She pushed on “I may ask for leave, get Mom & Dan to take Trixie for a few weeks” 

Lucifer’s expression was enigmatic, and then a wide smile split his face as he leaned in for a kiss.

“Where shall we go?” He muttered as claimed her lips. 

They had mused about isolated tropical islands, luxury resorts and trips on private yachts, but concluded that these would only help them discover about the more ‘intimate’ aspects of the relationship. They could do that right here in the Penthouse. 

“You’ve visited earth from Hell many times haven’t you ?” Chloe looked at Lucifer “We could rediscover the places you found interesting, together, you can tell me about your experiences….. I think you have so much to share and you love telling your tales…. especially as I now understand they’re not metaphors” At this Chloe looked a little sheepish. For ages he’d been consistently telling her the truth about who he was, and she refused to accept it. 

“Lucifer’s Grand Tour” he exclaimed. “We could start in Europe – England, France, Germany, Spain, Italy “ 

“Can we skip Rome” muttered Chloe “Been there done that, want to forget all about it” And so the plan was made.

The balmy night air surrounded them as they sat in the loungers on the terrace. Lucifer had rented a magnificent Tuscan Villa nestling in the hilly countryside for their brief stay. That evening he instructed the staff to turn off all outdoor lighting, so that the stars could shine even brighter above. He was enchanting Chloe with the tale of their creation & the origin of the constellation names. Only soft candlelight flickered from the pair of glass lanterns set either side of them. It cast an delicate light on Chloe’s perfect rapt features. She had never looked more beautiful, Lucifer thought. They had flown into Italy late last night so had spent most of the morning and all afternoon in the bedroom, in sometimes languid, sometimes intense, lovemaking. They had continued to explore their physical pleasures since Lucifer’s return from hell and Chloe’s confidence in revealing what she truly desired was growing, and Lucifer was ready to grant her every wish. Neither could recall ever being quite so happy as they were at that moment in time.

“See that constellation shaped like a flat ‘W’ – that’s Cassiopeia … well, below that is ‘Perseus’ named after the mythical Greek hero who cut off Medusa’s head” Lucifer outstretched his arm to point up to the sky, Chloe used to the chance to slide across onto his wide lounger, nestle even further into his side, her head now resting on his broad chest.

“That’s where we need to watch ” he murmured in her ear, his warm breath softly stirring her hair. “They’ll be coming from there”. 

As if on cue, a bright meteor streaked across the sky. A delighted gasp escaped Chloe’s lips as she caught sight of it. She looked at Lucifer, his face elated and she carefully leaned forward to place a kiss upon his slightly parted lips.

“You made these, yes?" She quietly asked.

“The Perseids” he whispered “there will be more” And there were. And more kisses until they both felt the night chill fall upon their skin and Lucifer decided that he wanted to show Chloe a celestial body of different kind.

“Florence tomorrow, my love” reminded Lucifer, as they both wandered back inside through the open French doors.

There were plenty of famous sights that Chloe wanted to visit while she was in Florence, the usual suspects: Ponte Vecchio with glittering jewellery shops nestled either side of the narrow bridge, Michelangelo’s David, certainly at least the copy in the Piazza Della Signoria, the Duomo with its Campanile and revolutionary Dome by Brunelleschi. Outside Uffizi gallery Lucifer pointed out the Statue of Perseus after whom the constellation and shooting stars from the previous evening , were named. To the left of that was the Palazzo Vecchio with its beautiful interiors and secret underground passages that allowed the rulers to move around Florence undetected, Lucifer raised his eyebrow in glee, suggesting they could follow one and find a nice secluded corner out of sight of the guided tours. He was quite keen as they had not existed when he first visited Florence and was sure that they were more likely to be used by lovers for clandestine meetings. Or if Chloe did not want to partake in their own version of the 'Tunnel of Love', they could explore the passages all the way across the river and reappear at the Palazzo Pitti and its lush Boboli Gardens. Although sorely tempted by the prospect of avoiding the rising heat for a while in cool hidden passageways, Chloe had wanted Lucifer to tell her more of his time in Florence, now she’d ticked off most of her ‘to do’ list. 

“So many of the smaller Palaces have changed” Lucifer informed her. “But we can go look at some of the people I met” He guided her over towards the large queues for the Uffizi Gallery. On approach he signalled to a guard, following a few hasty words in Italian and a friendly slap on the back from Lucifer, they were ushered through a VIP entrance into the cool lobby. There was a large promotional Poster on display featuring the current special exhibition ‘The Work of **Andrea d'Agnolo di Francesco di Luca** _otherwise known as_ **Andrea Del Sarto’** curated with loans from galleries around the world and including entrance to several Florentine churches where you could enjoy examples of Del Sarto’s frescos, it was a very popular exhibition. A look of recognition unfolded on Lucifer’s face.

“My little Artist” he quipped. They joined the exhibition, Lucifer providing her very own ‘audio guide’ of how the Madonna in the paintings often bore a striking resemblance of the artist’s wife ‘Lucrezia’ who in actuality was _not saintly at all._ He could also name some of the portraits where they were described as just ‘Woman in Yellow dress’ with little additional snippets of gossip about each subject. He brought the art to life and Chloe had never been quite so entertained in a gallery before.

She moved into room 3 of the exhibition, momentarily leaving him behind in the previous room. And that is when she saw it.

A Portrait of a dark eyed, handsome man looking directly at the artist – as if he had been interrupted from reading the book he held in his hand.

“Ummm…. Lucifer?” Chloe’s gaze swept over the room until she spied Lucifer approaching, she beckoned him hurry a little with movement of her head, her eyes wide. He moved to stand by her side and leaning down slightly to be more on her level, inspected the portrait.

“Ah there it is, I guess he did finish it then.” 

He read aloud the card alongside ‘Unknown Man – on loan from a private collector. This portrait was thought to be amongst Lucrezia Del Sarto’s possessions following her death many years after her husband.’ Taking a pen from his inside suit pocket Lucifer made to correct the card. Chloe reached out gently and placed a hand on his outstretched arm before any of the museum guards saw his intent. 

“Leave it “she whispered softly. “I love the sense of mystery” and stretched on tiptoe to place a delicate kiss on the side of his cheek. Lucifer turned to see the delight in her eyes and how they shone. Chloe saw the same in his.

“Anything other surprises in Florence” Chloe asked casually as they turned to walk to the next room.

“ No, but we could make a stopover at Liège” he replied. “I think there’s something you’d be curious to see”

Chloe hooked her arm through his, and together they made their way towards the exit. 

“Lunch, I think mia cara… afterwards, we’ll try my very favourite gelato… “ he promised .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The photomanip is by me. I was inspired by the work by Andrea Del Sarto, thought it might be fun to see what Italian renaissance Lucifer would look like.


End file.
